Lifan X-pect 200 arrived, unboxing, first impressions

[ProDigit]

2 Weeks ago, I ordered the Lifan X-Pect 200. I had a $100 discount due to selecting 'no pdi' (in other words, do everything myself).
Friday it was delivered to my door; and this morning (saturday 8AM), I woke up to start the project.

I've read some reviews on the X-Pect, and saw some tips and tricks and dissection threads about the bike; and some of my opinions may be the same, some differ of those expressed in the thread.

I mainly bought the Lifan Xpect thinking it was a 286LBS wet bike, but I was wrong. That was net weight. Still, the bike weighs roughly 302-305 LBS wet.

Starting with the unboxing, the crate comes with good quality bolts (not the army green ones).
I was surprised however, that they still used some army green bolts on the bike itself, including the wheel axles, despite competitors often going with the golden colored ones.

This time, I started the whole project different. I left the front wheel for last. That way the bike remained stationary, and I could basically do everything by myself without help from anyone else.

The first thing I did, was take the front light compartment off, to replace the 55-60W halogen bulb with an H4 LED one I had bought.
After that, I went over every bolt that wasn't visible with the front compartment on. And man, I think I found 30 bolts or screws without Loctite on. I did notice that most bolts that did have (red) Loctite on them, usually also had a white line marked on them, and often were bolts visible when the bike was completely mounted.

After that, I installed the handlebars. I've read a review that the cables were too short to mount the handles and electronics with the handlebars mounted, so I had left the handlebars mounted loosely, so I could shift the bars to mount all the switches.

I took the side panels off (one on each side) to remove the seat. This was necessary to install the battery.

Then, the Lithium battery. I forgot to look at the specs, but it looks to be a 2.5 or 3.5A lithium battery, small in size.
Once the battery was installed, I couldn't test the head or taillight, but the blinkers and brake lights, and dash all lit up.

Got some gas, and fired it up, and it basically worked from first time trying.

I went over every bolt, left and right side of the bike, including the exhaust bolts, and Loctited every last one of them.

While I was at it, I noticed the chain was tensioned high, and the chain sliders were all the way in.
I had bought a 17T front sprocket, and wanted to transplant the old 34T rear sprocket from my Vader, however the bolt holes didn't match up.
I was going to manually drill the bolt holes, but then I found a 32T that appeared to be an exact match for this bike.

Most people either go with the 15/46t or get a 17/42T or something. So yes, I was aware that the 32T was going to be very small.
I'd rather not use that sprocket, but I had no choice.
Cut out 6 links in the chain, used a 3D mesh seat cover (because it was burning hot in the sun), and finally mounted the front wheel.

Both rear wheel sprocket and front wheel mounting I did with the aid of a cheap car jack.

My first ride wasn't too successful. I rode around a bit, and the bike often stalled from a stop.
After my first ride (4 miles, to get gas), I drained the oil. Didn't look bad at all, with very little metal flakes. Nothing like the Vader 150 I had.

I adjusted the gear shifter pedal, jacked up the rear and let the rear wheel free-spin in the air, while applying lithium grease to the chain.
After that, I spray painted the chain with black plastidip, for extra protection against corrosion.

I saw the thread about the guy greasing every bearing, and while it's a good idea, I generally just skipped that. I could have easily injected bearing grease with a syringe, but the bearings can be replaced, and look ok.

One thing I didn't get, was that most of the bolts missing Loctite, had grease applied to them.
Almost as if the sales company wants this bike to fall apart!
I'm sure it's just rust prevention, but Loctite provides just as good, if not better rust protection.

Talking about rust, there was very little I could see that would need a layer of paint. Unlike my Vader who got generous amounts in places, the X-Pect was pretty much using rust free materials and coatings.
The only places I did use plastidip, was the clutch cable lever (on the engine side). That part is probably the same on all bikes, and will start to rust.
I also applied it to the wheel bolts, where the army green paint was stripped from the force mounting the bolts and nuts.
I did look at the exhaust, and don't know if it's a similar exhaust with powder coating as on my Vader. That exhaust on my vader started rusting within a few weeks.
I'll figure I'll let it run for now, and if I start noticing rust specs, I'll probably coat it with some Rustoleum 2000F black paint.

I also did some re-routes of wires that would be vibrating against the body panel, and instead zip tied them more towards the center of the bike, away from the side panels. I can see how a wire can disintegrate after hitting a plastic panel a few million times.

The mid-side panels had no rubber washers, but where mounted straight with the screw; so I put some nylon washers to keep them from wear and vibrations, and applied Loctite on them as well..

The plastics are solid, the materials used are good.

On to the ride,
I noticed the tires had little air in them, and pumped up the tires to 28 PSI. This significantly improved the start from a stop (maybe now only 2x the bike stalled out of 6-10 starts).

The engine seems like it's already mostly broken into from the factory, compared to my Vader 150; but I'm hoping it will still pick up power from here on.

The 32T rear is slightly too small; coming from a rider who likes tall gears.
First gear is too tall; it's not comfortable to do almost 10MPH at idle RPM; and I never felt the need to go into 5Th during the entire trip.
But when I did get into 5th, it felt like the engine was trying too hard, and there basically was zero acceleration past 50MPH. I also felt like the engine was tapping or something.
Could be because it's still breaking in, and after the break-in, will do 5th just fine; or, could be that this engine is really trying, but does really not have the power to run this current 5th gear ratio.

The engine was smooth as butter. I presume it was a counterbalanced engine.

I've tried to keep it slow, at least for the first few hundred miles, so I didn't see how fast the bike would be. But I feel 1st needs to be shorter, and 5th needs to be slightly taller than 4th gear currently is, but smaller than current.

There is roughly a 20% difference between 4th and 5th, meaning as an adventure/cruiser/daily driver mainly for street riding, I will probably want to increase the rear sprocket by less than 20%.
So currently it's a 32 tooth, and 20% added would be a ~38t; I would probably want to install something like a 35T instead.

I don't know if this bike will gain more power from here on though.
It uses port fuel injection, which is about as good as a tuned carburetor.

I did notice an idle screw on the side, which I can adjust with my bare hands (no tools needed).
The idle shortly goes up or down when adjusting, but quickly the EFI system compensates for it, and it idles around 1500 rpm again.
If I close the idle screw too much, the bike starts stalling, and idling rough. But if I open it by a lot, the bike doesn't idle any higher.
I was hoping this would be an AF screw, and if it is, it should allow more low end torque.

Riding the bike feels like riding on clouds; very plushy suspension, easily goes over speed bumps, potholes, or smaller.
The seat however, is pushing me forward, and not comfortable for longer rides.
I did put a seat cover on, so I might actually use some of the foam that came with the bike, as padding, to make the rider seat more comfy.

I'm 6.4" tall with a 34 inseam, and the side fairings on the tank are basically in the way for my knees.
I think this bike will suit the 6-6.2" guy with a 32 inseam best.

Acceleration is very smooth, and feels almost like an Overhead cam engine, rather than a pushrod; at least up to 5-6k RPM where I tried; perhaps because the fuel injection is running the low RPM very lean, and thus I may have realized less low end torque than I expected from this bike.
I can truly feel the heat radiating on my legs, which I don't feel when my vader was running stoic or rich.

Overall, it really feels like a luxury bike compared to the unrefined Vader bikes. Almost like I've got a Japanese bike, for half the price!
The whole process of mounting, Loctiting, and improving the bike, took roughly 12 hours, with about a 30 minute break; which was about on par with my Vader 150 (save for tuning the carburetor on that one).
I spent more time loctiting the bolts than on my Vader, but I spent significantly less time coating my bike with plastidip, unlike my Vader which needed probably 75% of a can.


Despite the heavier than expected weight, I can still lift the back, and because of the taller profile, it doesn't feel like it'd fall easily with me trying to keep it upright (at least, not like the Vaders, which seem to tip over really easily, and are hard to keep upright when they've tilted over.

[ProDigit]

Went back to the 15t front for the moment being with the 32t rear, until the larger rear sprocket arrives.

[ProDigit]

Like my Vader, I don't like the rider seat indent. It hurts my tail bone riding only short distances.

I bought a leather seat cover on AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806413758765.html

And padded the seat with the foam the bike came with, then applied the seat cover.
After, I added the 3D mesh seat cover to lower seat temperatures in the sun.

Seat cover installs with any kind of industrial stapler (like those for carpets etc).

[ProDigit]

I noticed the 15/32t feels like a normal bike, but the engine was still ticking a bit in 5th gear, albeit below 4-5k rpm.
The engine also seemed to brake quite well.
It was only then that I realized my mistake. I forgot to adjust the rear brake.
So I was riding on the brake the entire 26 miles. No wonder it had a smell of burnt to it.

After adjusting the rear brake again, the bike ran just fine.
I saw no reason to continue with the 15t front sprocket anymore, so I reinstalled the 17t. Also, first oil change at 50 miles seemed ok.

Installed smoked color wind breaker (screen), and phone mount.
My next ride later this afternoon, will probably tell how much the speedo is off.
The bike seems to go about as fast as the Vader 150, despite having +50cc and fuel injection. The seat is a lot higher than the Vader though, meaning more wind resistance.

Even with the 15t and 32t rear, the bike still manages to stall quite easily.
I'd have to rev up the engine to about 3-3.5k rpm, and keep it there, to launch from a stop.

The chain has somewhat lengthened enough for the 17t front sprocket to now have ideal chain tension. Before it was a bit tight.

Did some more chain lubing, found some specka of rust on the frame. Probably pebbles or debris that scratched the paint, and was starting to rust.
Plastidip to the rescue.

Also on the exhaust heat shield I started to notice rust where the mounting bolts were. Rust-Oleum black 2000F paint to the rescue

The bike doesn't seem to want to start when I have the throttle open.
Only in closed position does it start, and relatively fast too.

The dash seems to have only a trip/odo and a backlight on/off button. Backlight is one color (blue) only.

Bike accelerates very linearly. Doesn't feel like it's going to pull you off the seat.
Looks more like driving throttle by wire. Like, never really taxing the engine to the max.

The padding I installed on the seat, made from the foam remains that came with the bike, is quite firm. On my Vader, I had used firm regular foam, topped with a single layer of the packaging foam of the bike, and that worked quite well. But using just the packaging foam is doable but slightly firm.

[ProDigit]

Like expected, the speedo on this bike is also 7% overreading. Not enough to do the quick 10% speed subtraction (example: reading 55mph means it's doing 50), and just enough to annoy the heck out of me.

It's a readout you can't easily correct in the mind.
7% is roughly 3.5mph at 50mph, or roughly 2mph at 30mph.

The bike pulls 17/32 gearing,now that the rear brake is adjusted correctly, however, I can only really use 5th gear from ~3-5k rpm, and find myself often just staying in 4th.
4th gear is how I would tune a 150. 1k rpm every 10mph, or, at 50, it's revving at 5k rpm with more to give.

I was surprised the tach showed a 9k rpm redline, something I won't touch until at least 1k miles.

The reat 35t sprocket is on the way, and with the 17t front should fall right in-between the 15/32 and the 17/32t, making it at the very least 10% higher revving, or going to 5.5k rpm (maybe higher if it makes more power there).

The first gear is still very tall, but I feel like I can gently accelerate into 1st gear just fine.

The wind breaker doesn't vibrate like on my Vader, because the engine is so smooth, and the frame barely vibrates.

I do feel like I'm getting close to the engines top speed around 60mph indicated (56-57mph GPS), but I haven't taken it past 6k rpm yet.

The dashboard actually is illuminated in a faint orange backlight, which can be changed for a brighter blue. The orange is not really visible during the daytime.

[ProDigit]

17/32t results:

Mpg:
I did roughly 79 miles on the bike. I realize I've been babying it because of the break in, which may look favorable to mpg readouts, but then again, the engine will get better performance and mpg after the break-in. I've also ran a few miles with the rear brake slightly tight.

Overall, my 79 mile trip needed 1.05 gal of fuel, resulting in an average mpg of 74mpg. A far cry from the advertised 102mpg.
Provided those US sales channels posted the UK mpg values, which in itself is a deceptive tactic, and we convert the numbers to US mpg, I end up with 85mpg US. Still 10mpg short.

It is safe to say this bike for city riding will get roughly 75mpg. No better than 80mpg, since this is already with extreme sprockets.
More likely the bike will get closer to 65-70mpg with more reasonable sprocket setups.

Interested to hear how this differs from the hawk or hawk dlx?

Top speed run:

Despite only having less than 100 miles, I still did a quick top speed run.
I was kind of disappointed though, because despite this bike having a 25% bigger engine than the Vader 150, it also is about 25% taller than the Vader, resulting in the Vader 150 being just as fast as the Xpect.
Top speed on the Vader is actually slightly higher, but the least amount of wind will reduce the speed of the Vader by a lot more than the Xpect.
What the Xpect really needs is a 300-400cc engine.

The Xpect ran a top speed of 68mph indicated one way, and 74mph the other way. That's roughly 64mph one way and 70mph the other way GPS, under the same driving conditions, same day riding a stretch both ways.

A difference of 6mph in each direction, which may indicate a 3mph head/tailwind. An average of 67mph GPS in a no-wind condition at below 100 miles.

The bike did roughly 7.25k rpm in 4th at 70mph gps with the 17/32t, and lowered to 50-60mph top speed GPS in 5th gear at 4000-4750rpm roughly.

The bike pulls nicely to 60mph, but after that, acceleration pretty much runs flat.

Despite no handlebar or footpeg vibrations, my throttle hand still felt numb, because the throttle grip is so tiny, my hand gets numb from gripping such a small throttle diameter. I've ordered some throttle grip covers to help alleviate the issue.

The last thing I want to say, is that the black, metal fuel tank, attracts so much heat. It's not recommended to leave the bike out in the sun. I wonder if there's something I can stick to the tank, to reduce fuel tank temperatures.
Either a sticker, wrap, or paint.. perhaps someone has done something like this on one of their bikes?

[TominMO]

When companies do mpg runs for their products, they make sure to have optimal conditions.
In top gear, 45 - 50 mph so wind resistance is not a factor and RPMs are low, and on a closed track sounds about right.

[ProDigit]

I've finally installed the 35t.
Top speed 75/74 mph indicated (to/back), equivalent of 70mph gps.

If anyone wants higher top speed, I would recommend a 36t instead, simply because you'll have slightly higher top speed, and because the tach is displaying exactly your GPS speed x100, in 5th gear.
Meaning, in 5th running at 5k rpm = 50 mph.

With a 35t rear that number is about 2 mph off at 50mph.

I'm not going to get a 36t, simply because I prefer better fuel economy in the city, and I'm not going through the trouble of buying and installing the 36t for 1t difference. But if you're on the fence, a 36-37t are ideal for top speed, paired with the 17t front sprocket.
It's not going to be the first one off the line, or stoplight to stoplight drag races, but it will accelerate great from a start, and have a much higher top speed.

While I was at it, I also put some extra grease on the bearings.
The grease that's there, is transparent silicon grease, and is just fine for 4 years or 10-15k miles.
It lasts longer when it remains clean, but as time progresses, little metal shavings may start to erode the bearings.

Adding some bearing grease was fairly simple. Remove the bearing seal, with a sharp or thin pin (a needle, nail, or very small screwdriver). Poke the inside of the bearing seal. The pin will slide between the bearing and seal, then just flip it up, out of the bearing. Add about the same amount of grease as is already in the bearing, run the bearing (rotate it) then seal it up again.
Should be good for at least 20k miles.

The sprocket adapter has one, the rear wheel hub has one, the rear wheel brake hub has no bearings, and the front wheel should have one or two. I wouldn't bother about the handlebars. Ive had bikes with almost no bearing grease, and they lasted 15+ years of regular use. The handlebar bearings don't see the amount of wear the wheel bearings do.

Lastly, I've been told that the Lifan X-pect, kpx KPMini,.. all are of higher quality than most of the other bikes out there.
I'd have to say, that's definitely not the case!

Sure, the suspension on this bike is better than on any other Chinese bike.
But the seat is on par, the dash is less fancy, bike comes with bolts not loctited as well, the plastics are better, but the frame already starts showing specs of rust in the seams and edges.
It's just superficial rust, or rust colored patches from rain that dried up, but I'm kind of disappointed in the "way better" claims many are making.
The engine is counterbalanced (something you'll also find in the hawk DLX), fuel injected you may soon see more and more of on other popular chinese bikes.
Sure, the fuel injection makes this bike run smoothly, but on the other hand, the engine never gets to it's full potential. It's like drive by wire, where the fi system limits the engine from doing a 100% load, unlike a carburetor where the throttle input doesn't match the engine output, and where the engine mighr have some rpm ranges where it runs better (more engine output) than other rpm ranges.
But I'm most disappointed in the specs of rust I start seeing on the frame.
Usually very small, indicating that the bikes frame is cheap steel coated with a single layer of paint.

[mutiger]

Just back from my first ride on my new Lifan Lycan, the bike is very tight and feels solid. More than enough power, like the riding position, tranny feels pretty smooth. I've owned a few bikes starting at 50ccs and up to 1200. Just counted and I think 9 is the number. Overall this bike after just a short jaunt reminds me of a Honda. Vtwin makes a difference. Everything from the shifting to braking feels solid. For 3399 dollars it is a bargain. While I can't speak too highly of the dealer if you buy one you won't be disappointed. Only problem other than the sight glass being hidden is I can't figure out how to turn on the AC.

[ProDigit]

Just got the mpg numbers in.
94 mpg. Did another run, about 50 miles, slightly faster, 93mpg.
The odo readout of the trip indicated 49.7 miles, stride recorded 51.3 miles, under reading by about 3%, which is kind of opposite of what I had expected. I either expected the odo to be spot on, or overreading, since the speedometer is overreading by about 5% .

I also adjusted the front headlight a bit lower, (Philips head screwdriver, the screw is on the bottom left on the back side, behind the wiring); the headlight was pointing upward too much.

I also wanted the brake pedal to go higher, but apparently it's not adjustable.
It has an adjustment screw, that basically can adjust only downward, not up
If I want it higher, the pedal will touch the transmission case, preventing the pedal to go further upwards.

I've decided to get a 36t or 38t rear sprocket, to get a more top speed, and a better start from stop. Peak mpg will be affected by 2 to 5 mpg, but I don't think 85-90 MPG is bad in any way.

[Aussie_in_MO]

For your brake pedal adjustment, it may be possible to bend it outwards.
Ran into a similar issue on my Templar X. https://chinariders.net/showpost.php...postcount=1691

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by Aussie_in_MO

For your brake pedal adjustment, it may be possible to bend it outwards.
Ran into a similar issue on my Templar X. https://chinariders.net/showpost.php...postcount=1691

Good suggestion, however it's less feasible on the Xpect, because the kick starter is in the way.
However, with just enough bend, the brake pedal fits right between the engine housing and the kickstarter, giving me about 3 to 4mm extra leverage.

Apologies, the web interface rearranged my photos on the wrong order, and turned some upside down.

[ProDigit]

300 mile review:

So far the bike runs great.
I'm making this my main commuter.
I swapped the oil at about 5 miles, and will be doing my next oil change soon.

The valves started making noise, so I did my first valve adjustment.
I used a 0.006" feeler gauge, fit it loosely, I tightened the lock nut halfway tight, and the feeler gauge fit perfectly (slight resistance).
I pulled it out, tightened the lock nut completely, and got anywhere between 0.03 and 0.05".

The valve cover has 2 caps you can screw off of the valve cover, allowing you access to the valves.
And while you can't use feeler gauges for the spacing with the valve cover still on, I presume you could adjust the valves to 0.00" with a rachet when the engine is hot, via there.
I think it's a new feature, as I didn't see these valve cover caps on some older versions.
The exhaust valve adjustment is quite accessible, however, the valve tools I have won't work as the screw and nut is impossible to reach (too deep).
One could use a ratchet to tighten the locknut from there, or do a quick exhaust adjustment on the go, without taking off the valve cover nor the side panels.
Because of that, one probably can only do the adjustment from there on a hot engine.

The intake side also has a removable cap, but due to the positioning underneath the tank, it's easier to remove the valve cover for adjusting, as there's really no space to adjust via that cap, unless the tank is off.
I presume they set the valves on the engines after the break-in through these caps, within the factory.

Thankfully most of the time, it's the exhaust side that needs adjusting, not the intake.

Other than that, I switched the rear sprocket again from a 35 to a 36.
Only a minor improvement, will see how it affects top speed and mpg after the oil change.
For one, there's about a 3% improvement in starting from a stop (3% less chance on stalling).
Second, the rpm in 5th now is exactly 100x my speed. So it does 50mph GPS at 5000 rpm in 5th (despite the dash indicating 52-53mph).
A ~3% increase in acceleration per gear, and it's now easier to run 5th gear below 3.5k rpm (35mph), which is nice for the slower rides.

I feel that on the Xpect, there is no reason to go beyond a 17/36t, as this is pretty much the ideal gearing for flat lands at sea level, during wind still conditions. Getting taller gears than that, will just hamper 1st and 5th gear performance. A 17/32t basically makes 5th gear only useable between 4-5k rpm (a ~1000-1500 rpm band), meanwhile a 17/35t works well between 3.75-6k rpm (a ~2250-2500 rpm band). A 17/36t should have a much more useable band of 2500-3000rpm in 5th.

For most people using this as a commuter, who aren't hunting for mpg, I would recommend a 17/38t to a 17/40t for more hilly areas.
Still, a 36t should get you between 65-75mph top speed, at 75-90 mpg.

[ProDigit]

350 mile review:

After the valve adjustment, I did an oil change. The valve tapping is now almost gone, but is still a little audible. It's a bit more pronounced when the bike is between cold and hot. At cold and hot, I can barely hear the valves.

I also increased the psi from 35 to 38 (as max psi is 40).

I did a top speed run with the 36t, tucking, and got 74-75mph indicated both ways. GPS showed 71mph.
Once seated upright, the speed goes down to 60mph indicated, 57mph GPS. At 6'4” I'm catching a lot of wind. I also padded the seat with 2" of foam, which makes me sit higher than normal. I got a 34" inseam, and with the padded seat can't flatfoot.
The bike now effectively coasts in 5th between 3-7k rpm (a 4k band), and accelerated best between 3.5-4k rpm and 6.5-7k rpm.
Even in a lower gear, it's obvious that the engine start losing acceleration above 6.5k rpm, and really starts lowering after 7k rpm, to the point where it makes more sense to upshift to a higher gear than rev the bike past 7k rpm.
I definitely feel that the 17/36t setup is ideal for my riding style, as the bike makes peak power at top speed (7k rpm at 70mph).
I'm fairly sure a 37t rear will be similar to a 35t in top speed, but may be better for those who want to get a slightly lower top speed tucked, but a higher top speed when sitting upright.
The bike now accelerates fine from a stop, and gets quite quickly up to 50-55mph, and in traffic up to 60 without issues. In traffic I can maintain 65mph with ease, but no faster than that.

After that, I adjusted the spokes. Something I should have done on day 1; but I was waiting for the spoke adjuster tool.
Unfortunately, the tool didn't fit the spokes, so I ended up using an adjustable wrench.
While I don't know the exact spoke tension, I used a small screwdriver to tap the spokes, and try to tune them based on the sound they made; just like a string on a guitar.
Some spokes sounded like they had a higher pitch than the majority, and some had a lower pitch.
I only adjusted the ones that had an either too high, or too low pitch, to get them more approximately the same pitch.
I noticed, looking at the rim, I had to loosen the copper ends, to tighten the string, and tighten them, to loosen the string. A bit counter intuitive.

One I finished that, I took my can of Rust-Oleum, and started addressing some of the rust specks on my bike. I know the Rust-Oleum black paint is kind of a matte paint, which is visible on the more gloss, deeper black paint used on the bike. Some of the welds on the tank had some rust specks. Some specks on the exhaust, some specks on the frame.

Lastly I read up on corrosion on the rim, where the spokes meet up with the rim. Ideally I would need to use plastidip there, but my plastidip is a dark black, that would be very visible, so I used the Rust-Oleum paint, which happen to be almost the same color dried as the powder coated rims.
I sprayed all copper spoke ends at the rim, which made it look like the spokes kind of blend in with the rims at the end.
The Rust-Oleum didn't really stick to the brass pieces that still looked new. But once there was corrosion, it stuck quite well.

The Rust-Oleum paint won't prevent rust formation at the rim, as it doesn't fully seal the area where the spokes meet the rim, but hopefully will be able to somewhat slow down the formation of rust.

Other than that, my mpg run was 81mpg. This however was also including the top speed highway run I did, and daily commuting to and back from work, which includes many stop lights.

[ProDigit]

Today, at 500 miles, I had to do the valve adjustment again.
I think I'll attribute that to user error.
I had set the valves to approximately 0.04-0.05", and it ran perfectly for a while, until during the course of the week, the bike started making a ticking sound again.

They say, "ticking valves, are happy valves", but that's definitely not the case.
Ticking, tapping, or clanking valves are not happy valves. It increases wear on the valve intake and exhaust system.

When I opened the cover again, my exhaust was still set to 0.04", but the intake side somehow read 0.06".
This caused my engine to run really hot, and it didn't have lots of power below 3-3500 RPM in 5th gear.

On the side cover (looking at the T-window), I rotated the engine with a rachet wrench. I also left the spark plug mounted in; unlike what most people suggested.
Turning the engine was just about as difficult, as using the kick starter, with the exception that the compression stroke pressure slowly deflated, so I didn't have to completely overcome all the 100PSI on the compression stroke as long as I rotated the engine slowly.

It was also easier to determine when I was in the compression stroke, I saved time by not taking out the spark plug. And that way I won't get any debris, water or dirt in the engine through the spark plug hole.

With the T on the top, during the compression stroke (the only 180 degrees of rotation where one can feel resistance), I adjusted the intake valve. It was tight with the screw at 12 o clock, but if I turned the valve screw loose by just 20 degrees, would result in 0.06" clearance (=too high). So I could quite literally only adjust the screw by up to 10 degrees from hand tight, then tighten the intake, without needing a valve adjustment tool.
The valve was so tight, it seemed like it had no space, but the 0.02" slider fit in there.

While I was at it, I noticed there was a small metal flake between the valve and the adjustment screw.
This probably messed up the reading.
I used WD40, to squirt out the flake (probably a metal flake from the engine), and finished my adjustment.
With the intake valve set to 0.02", the valve tapping was now completely gone.
The engine also ran a bit cooler.

According to online, tight valves should also increase MPG.

On the con side, I felt as if the bike lost a bit of power.
I did install a trunk on the bike, but it's quite aerodynamic, so I don't think speed reading below 65MPH should be affected by it.
It could also just be my butt dyno being off, so I took it out on the highway to see top speed.

Adjusting the intake valve from 0.06 to 0.02" I could immediately notice easier start from a stop.
The engine before preferred to stay above 3k RPM in 5th, preferably 3.5k for cruising.
Now it easily cruises as low as 2.5k RPM (25MPH) in 5th.
The engine doesn't even complain above 2k RPM under load, but 2k RPM is pretty much a hard limit. Anything below 2k RPM and the engine WILL complain, even in 2nd or 3rd gear.

I also tested out idle rpm, and the engine ran as low as 1.1k RPM, but stalled at 1k RPM, and wouldn't start anymore, until I increased the idle.
Because of articles of engine wear at too low idle, I decided to set the idle to 1.5k RPM instead of 1.2k RPM where it seems to idle just fine.

Top speed seemed to suffer a bit.
There was quite a bit of wind.
Before the adjustment, my bike did 74MPH indicated (70 MPH GPS), and after the adjustment (and trunk), I reached speeds of 70MPH indicated, 65MPH GPS.
On the way back the bike reached speeds of 76MPH (71MPH GPS), averaging at around 73MPH indicated (68MPH GPS), so it's safe to say the top speed wasn't really affected much by the valve adjustment, (considering I now have a trunk mounted as well).

I did end up hitting 80MPH indicated (75MPH GPS) down a bridge, which is the fastest speed I've ever seen on this bike.

The MPG readout read an average of 85MPG for the last few runs, which is excellent.

Other than that, the standard 'Rust-Oleum' paint touchups on spots showing a bit of rust.